Growing pains bite Rams

Dry spell costs Dalhousie squad against Mounties

BIBLE HILL - The Dalhousie Rams came into Sunday's matchup with the Mount Allison Mounties riding a wave of confidence.

Dalhousie Rams point guard Ty Borden looks for a passing option while being covered by Jordan Bedard of the Mount Allison Mounties Sunday in their ACAA men's basketball game at Langille Athletic Centre. The Rams lost the contest 96-61 in their final game before the Christmas break. Matthew Veno - Truro Daily News

The Rams (1-6) were handed a 96-61 setback by the Mounties (3-2) at Langille Athletic Centre just a day after the Rams scored their first win of the season in a 76-61 triumph over the Saint John Seawolves (2-2) to close their schedule before the Christmas break.

"It's disappointing," Rams hooting guard Marcus MacLean, who buried a team-high 14 points, said. "We just got down on ourselves and let the game get away from us."

The Rams aren't back in action again until Jan. 11, when they host the Crandall Chargers (5-1).

The Rams are tied for seventh among the conference's eight teams with the Kings Blue Devils (1-4).

Oozing positivity after their Saturday victory, the Rams got off to a strong start Sunday and trailed by only one point after the opening quarter. But that's where things started to unravel for the home side.

"Things in the second quarter didn't go our way," Rams head coach Bill Findlay said. "The youth showed and guys got down and it took us until the fourth quarter until we wok up again and if you don't come to play for 20 minutes of a 40-minute ball game you're not going to win many."

The Rams hit a slump in the middle of the game, scoring a combined 15 points in the second and third quarters to lose pace with the more experienced Mounties.

"It was huge," Findlay said. "When you give them that opportunity they're going to jump on it and that's what they did and brought us back down to earth."

The Rams came back with a strong fourth quarter, which again saw just a one-point difference between the two sides. But the damage was already done.

MacLean said it's a perfect example of the growing pains of rebuilding a program.

"We're young and we're still learning how to play with each other," he said. "We just weren't in it mentally."

But Findlay said he did see some positives from Sunday's tilt, noting he got some strong play from his players off the bench. The coach added he and his players will be addressing their team's issues over the break.

"It's time to regroup and refocus and build from that," he said. "We just have to go forward and come back and try to get another W to try to break the streak again."

WOMEN

The Rams were swept on the weekend in women's action, falling 53-43 to the Mounties (3-2) on Sunday after suffering a 64-53 loss Saturday to the Seawolves (1-3).

The result leaves he Rams (1-6) seventh among eight teams in the conference.

Hayley Watson paced the Rams on Sunday with 17 points while Hillary Hopper pumped in 11 and Candace Reynolds had 10.

Dalhousie Rams point guard Ty Borden looks for a passing option while being covered by Jordan Bedard of the Mount Allison Mounties Sunday in their ACAA men's basketball game at Langille Athletic Centre. The Rams lost the contest 96-61 in their final game before the Christmas break. Matthew Veno - Truro Daily News